A family in communion as the foundation for three more points

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Push on by thousands of tireless fans, Benfica bagged their 7th consecutive win in the Liga Betclic after beating Arouca, by 0-2, on matchday 12, and rounded off a weekend of great support in the north of the country in the best way possible.

From a stand that resembled a red wall, the eleven made up of Trubin, Bah, Tomás Araújo, Otamendi, Álvaro Carreras, Florentino, Aursnes, Kökcü, Di María, Aktürkoğlu and Pavlidis was greeted with a resounding ovation and chants of support that overshadowed the local fans, who were clearly in the minority. After the traditional bow of thanks and in an atmosphere of total communion among the Benfica family, the match began.

Benfica managed to open the scoring in the 12th minute. Kökcü won the ball back in the Reds' half, picked up the pace and played a pass down the left flank to set up Aktürkoğlu. He got past Chico and crossed into the penalty area, where José Fontán, attempting to intercept, fired the ball into the back of his own net. A lead and the first great explosion of joy from the red wall, when Benfica fans were still entering the venue.

2.ª parte The 2nd half got off to a lukewarm start, with both teams struggling to get into each other's areas. Always in tune with the chants, the Benfica fans never tired of supporting the players at all times. The support from the stands gave Benfica extra energy and, from the 60th minute onwards, they took the opponent's penalty area by storm. 

Given the succession of chances, the goal seemed to be on the horizon. In the 70th minute, following a great pass from Aursnes, Pavlidis evaded his marker but couldn't beat Mantl. In the second wave, Barreiro got to the ball first and was fouled by the Arouca keeper. Penalty! Di María shot with class to make it 0-2, sending the Benfica fans jumping and chanting “1904, 1904”!

With their 7th consecutive win in the Liga Betclic, Benfica will return to the pitch next Saturday, December 7, against Vitória SC, on matchday 13 of the competition. The match, which will be played at the Estádio da Luz, will kick off at 6 pm (tickets HERE).